Advent Notes for Christ-Seekers December 10
Let not our hearts be busy inns,
That have no room for Thee,
But cradles for the living Christ
And His nativity.
Still driven by a thousand cares
The pilgrims come and go;
The hurried caravans press on;
The inns are crowded so!
Oh, lest we starve, and lest we die
In our stupidity,
Come, Holy Child, within and share
Our hospitality.
Ralph Spaulding Cushman
“Because there was no room for them in the inn.” A crowded city, all the lodging filled, no room for Jesus. The image, as Cushman points out, speaks to the one who is too busy, whose heart is too crowded to believe.
Yet it speaks as well to the believers, to those who say, “Yes, Lord Jesus, come into my heart,” yet find that heart over time crowded with the cares of this world, with the busyness of a life of faith, and yes, with way too many messages in our in-boxes.
I made a feeble attempt at creating a flannelgraph presentation many years ago that was based on a short story, My Heart, Christ’s Home. The story-teller invited Christ into his home (his heart), and moved from room to room as they explored together what that act of faith meant in the experience of the day-to-day. At one point, Jesus tells the narrator that he’d been waiting for him every morning in the with-drawing room, but that he’d been lonely, as the narrator didn’t appear. To paraphrase, Jesus reminded the young man that the time together mattered to Jesus just as much as it mattered to his own spiritual journey.
Have you any room for Jesus?
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Friday, December 09, 2011
Advent Prayers for Christ-Seekers December 9
Morning Star
Morning Star, O cheering sight!
Ere Thou cam’st, how dark the night!
Jesus mine, in me shine,
Fill my heart with light divine.
Morning Star, thy glory bright
Far excels the sun’s clear light,
Jesus be, constantly,
More than thousand suns to me.
From a Moravian Hymn
Johannes Scheffler, 1657
When living in Philadelphia, we were privileged to journey to Bethlehem (Pennsylvania, not Judea) to attend a traditional Christmas observance known as the Moravian Love Feast. Surrounded by the soft glow of the beeswax candles, we sang of the herald angels, the shepherds watching o’er their flocks by night, and the child in a manger. Coffee and sweet rolls were shared during the service, an expression of the love feast marked within the Moravian Church.
It is from this tradition that we pray the prayer of the morning star. “Jesus mine, in me shine, Jesus be, constantly, more than thousand suns to me.’ Jesus said, “I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star” (Rev. 22:16). The morning star proclaims that the night has ended, that new light has come.
It is no coincidence that within the Moravian tradition, this carol-prayer a responsive one, led by children as Isaiah 11 promises. “A little child shall lead them.” So we pray today the child-like, profound words as the light of the Morning Star shines upon us: Jesus mine, in me shine.”
Morning Star
Morning Star, O cheering sight!
Ere Thou cam’st, how dark the night!
Jesus mine, in me shine,
Fill my heart with light divine.
Morning Star, thy glory bright
Far excels the sun’s clear light,
Jesus be, constantly,
More than thousand suns to me.
From a Moravian Hymn
Johannes Scheffler, 1657
When living in Philadelphia, we were privileged to journey to Bethlehem (Pennsylvania, not Judea) to attend a traditional Christmas observance known as the Moravian Love Feast. Surrounded by the soft glow of the beeswax candles, we sang of the herald angels, the shepherds watching o’er their flocks by night, and the child in a manger. Coffee and sweet rolls were shared during the service, an expression of the love feast marked within the Moravian Church.
It is from this tradition that we pray the prayer of the morning star. “Jesus mine, in me shine, Jesus be, constantly, more than thousand suns to me.’ Jesus said, “I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star” (Rev. 22:16). The morning star proclaims that the night has ended, that new light has come.
It is no coincidence that within the Moravian tradition, this carol-prayer a responsive one, led by children as Isaiah 11 promises. “A little child shall lead them.” So we pray today the child-like, profound words as the light of the Morning Star shines upon us: Jesus mine, in me shine.”
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Advent Prayers for Christ-Seekers December 8
O my God! make me worthy to understand something of the mystery of the burning charity which is in You, which impelled you to effect the sublime act of the Incarnation!
which brings to man, with the outpouring of love, the assurance of salvation.
How ineffable is this charity!
Truly there is no greater than this, that the Word was made flesh in order to make me like unto God!
You became nothing in order to make me something;
You clothed Yourself like the lowliest slave
to give me the garments of a King and a God!
Although You took the form of a slave,
You did not lessen Your substance, nor injure Your divinity,
but the depths of Your humility
pierce my heart and make me cry out:
O incomprehensible One, made comprehensible because of me!
O uncreated One, now created!
O Thou who art inaccessible to mind and body,
become palpable to thought and touch, by a prodigy of Thy power!
St. Angela of Foligno
St. Angela’s prayer focuses on the mystery, the amazing gift of the incarnation. The Almighty God a baby. Most of us have heard the story so many times that we don’t stop to think of the magnitude of that act, so Angela does it for us. At first reading, I was put off a bit by the language she used. It seemed extreme, excessive, but as I sat with her prayer a bit, it struck me – the incarnation was extreme, it was excessive. As John reminds us (1 John 3), this was love lavished upon us.
After all, God could have been satisfied with the angel messengers, with the prophets and their attention-grabbing actions. He could have kept on with the temple sacrifices and the details of the law. But instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love (as Peterson reminds us), God sent his Son. “For unto us a child is born.” For us. For me. For you.
O my God! make me worthy to understand something of the mystery of the burning charity which is in You, which impelled you to effect the sublime act of the Incarnation!
which brings to man, with the outpouring of love, the assurance of salvation.
How ineffable is this charity!
Truly there is no greater than this, that the Word was made flesh in order to make me like unto God!
You became nothing in order to make me something;
You clothed Yourself like the lowliest slave
to give me the garments of a King and a God!
Although You took the form of a slave,
You did not lessen Your substance, nor injure Your divinity,
but the depths of Your humility
pierce my heart and make me cry out:
O incomprehensible One, made comprehensible because of me!
O uncreated One, now created!
O Thou who art inaccessible to mind and body,
become palpable to thought and touch, by a prodigy of Thy power!
St. Angela of Foligno
St. Angela’s prayer focuses on the mystery, the amazing gift of the incarnation. The Almighty God a baby. Most of us have heard the story so many times that we don’t stop to think of the magnitude of that act, so Angela does it for us. At first reading, I was put off a bit by the language she used. It seemed extreme, excessive, but as I sat with her prayer a bit, it struck me – the incarnation was extreme, it was excessive. As John reminds us (1 John 3), this was love lavished upon us.
After all, God could have been satisfied with the angel messengers, with the prophets and their attention-grabbing actions. He could have kept on with the temple sacrifices and the details of the law. But instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love (as Peterson reminds us), God sent his Son. “For unto us a child is born.” For us. For me. For you.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Advent Prayers for Christ-Seekers December 7
Advent Prayer
Lord Jesus,
Master of both the light and the darkness,
send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do
seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.
We who are anxious over many things
look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways
long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.
To you we say, "Come Lord Jesus!"
Amen.
Henri J.M. Nouwen
How can I possibly add words to those of Henri Nouwen? Writer, speaker, priest, prophet, Nouwen’s voice in the Catholic Church and in the broader context of Christian spirituality is a voice that “gets it.” He understands our human frailties, because he is honest about his own. He knew the light and darkness of faith. He knew the need for solitude and silence, and he made difficult life choices in order to seek after what he needed.
Nouwen provides us with wise counsel: “People who have come to know the joy of God do not deny the darkness but they choose not to live in it. They claim that the light that shines in the darkness can be trusted more than the darkness itself and that a little bit of light can dispel a lot of darkness. They point each other to flashes of light here and there and remind each other that they reveal the hidden but real presence of God.”
Come, Lord Jesus. Come to your busy, anxious, longing children with light for today.
Advent Prayer
Lord Jesus,
Master of both the light and the darkness,
send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do
seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.
We who are anxious over many things
look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways
long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.
To you we say, "Come Lord Jesus!"
Amen.
Henri J.M. Nouwen
How can I possibly add words to those of Henri Nouwen? Writer, speaker, priest, prophet, Nouwen’s voice in the Catholic Church and in the broader context of Christian spirituality is a voice that “gets it.” He understands our human frailties, because he is honest about his own. He knew the light and darkness of faith. He knew the need for solitude and silence, and he made difficult life choices in order to seek after what he needed.
Nouwen provides us with wise counsel: “People who have come to know the joy of God do not deny the darkness but they choose not to live in it. They claim that the light that shines in the darkness can be trusted more than the darkness itself and that a little bit of light can dispel a lot of darkness. They point each other to flashes of light here and there and remind each other that they reveal the hidden but real presence of God.”
Come, Lord Jesus. Come to your busy, anxious, longing children with light for today.
Advent Prayers for Christ-Seekers December 6
Deep peace of the running waves to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the smiling stars to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the watching shepherds to you.
Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you.
Gaelic Blessing
The prayer of blessing is an ancient practice, as old as the creation of the earth (see Genesis 1:28). Jesus took the children in his arms and blessed them, while the specific blessing of peace was Christ’s as well, as he said farewell to his disciples in John 14: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you.”
This particular prayer of blessing is one that has been at the bottom of my Lotus Notes e-mail for quite some time, minus the fifth line, that of the watching shepherds. I suppose I should have changed it long before now, but then I’d have to figure out how to actually change it – so it stays. Unfortunately, too many things remain in our lives because we can’t figure out how to change them, but this prayer of blessing is a keeper.
Peace, deep peace, perfect peace. The theme runs through many of the Advent prayers and Christmas carols. Not, Jesus reminded us, as the world gives to us, but a peace that passes all understanding. As the running waves, as the flowing air, as the smiling stars, as the quiet earth. And yes, as the watching shepherds, those faithful ones who kept watch over their flocks by night, waiting and watching.
The images of this blessing remind us of the sense of peace we long for, but the bless-er understands that the source of that peace is found only in its last line – through the Son of Peace. Might that deep peace, found only in Christ, be ours.
Deep peace of the running waves to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the smiling stars to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the watching shepherds to you.
Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you.
Gaelic Blessing
The prayer of blessing is an ancient practice, as old as the creation of the earth (see Genesis 1:28). Jesus took the children in his arms and blessed them, while the specific blessing of peace was Christ’s as well, as he said farewell to his disciples in John 14: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you.”
This particular prayer of blessing is one that has been at the bottom of my Lotus Notes e-mail for quite some time, minus the fifth line, that of the watching shepherds. I suppose I should have changed it long before now, but then I’d have to figure out how to actually change it – so it stays. Unfortunately, too many things remain in our lives because we can’t figure out how to change them, but this prayer of blessing is a keeper.
Peace, deep peace, perfect peace. The theme runs through many of the Advent prayers and Christmas carols. Not, Jesus reminded us, as the world gives to us, but a peace that passes all understanding. As the running waves, as the flowing air, as the smiling stars, as the quiet earth. And yes, as the watching shepherds, those faithful ones who kept watch over their flocks by night, waiting and watching.
The images of this blessing remind us of the sense of peace we long for, but the bless-er understands that the source of that peace is found only in its last line – through the Son of Peace. Might that deep peace, found only in Christ, be ours.
Monday, December 05, 2011
Advent Prayers for Christ-Seekers December 5
O Father, may that holy Star
Grow every year more bright,
And send its glorious beams afar
To fill the world with light.
William Cullen Bryant
19th century
Bryant’s ‘holy star’ is preserved for the ages by Matthew, who quotes the group of wise men: “Where is the child? We saw his star in the east.” The answer to their question came through the star, for “the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.”
Was the star supernaturally bright? Was the star at its zenith in the days following the birth of the baby? Or were the eyes of the wise men opened to what had been present all along? Perhaps the answer is all of the above.
While Bryant may have prayed for the light to grow supernaturally, it was in Christ that the everlasting light shone in the darkness. He told his followers, “I am the light of the world.” Indeed, in Him the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.
But the light of the star and the light of his own presence wasn’t enough for Jesus. He turned the tables as he so often did and told his followers, “You are the light of the world.” When the light of Christ is reflected in his followers, the holy Star grows brighter. “Shine, Jesus, shine!”
O Father, may that holy Star
Grow every year more bright,
And send its glorious beams afar
To fill the world with light.
William Cullen Bryant
19th century
Bryant’s ‘holy star’ is preserved for the ages by Matthew, who quotes the group of wise men: “Where is the child? We saw his star in the east.” The answer to their question came through the star, for “the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.”
Was the star supernaturally bright? Was the star at its zenith in the days following the birth of the baby? Or were the eyes of the wise men opened to what had been present all along? Perhaps the answer is all of the above.
While Bryant may have prayed for the light to grow supernaturally, it was in Christ that the everlasting light shone in the darkness. He told his followers, “I am the light of the world.” Indeed, in Him the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.
But the light of the star and the light of his own presence wasn’t enough for Jesus. He turned the tables as he so often did and told his followers, “You are the light of the world.” When the light of Christ is reflected in his followers, the holy Star grows brighter. “Shine, Jesus, shine!”
Sunday, December 04, 2011
Advent Prayers for Christ-Seekers December 4
Christ is born; give him the glory!
Christ has come down from heaven; receive him!
Christ is now on earth; exalt him!
O you earth, sing to the Lord!
O you nations, praise him in joy,
for he has been glorified!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.
Amen.
Byzantine Traditional
This ancient prayer has the feel of a psalm, as it trumpets the birth of Christ with an exhortation to praise and song on the part of the believer. Perhaps it was a sung prayer as well, as its rhythms would suggest that a melody may have been a part of its expression.
While I don’t know what notes (if any) may have accompanied its opening lines, its final line is the traditional Gloria Patri sung every Sunday of my childhood at the conclusion of the pastoral prayer. As Presbyterians, we weren’t as strictly liturgical as some churches, but there was a pattern to our worship, and these words were included in that pattern.
“Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.” We stood in the presence of God and affirmed our belief in the Trinity, one in three, and, as Salvation Army doctrine explains, “co-equal in power and glory.” Present in the beginning, at the creation of the world. Present in our day, as we walk in the Spirit, and present forever, infinitely God with us.
For this day, it will be the melody that replays in my head.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen. Amen.
Christ is born; give him the glory!
Christ has come down from heaven; receive him!
Christ is now on earth; exalt him!
O you earth, sing to the Lord!
O you nations, praise him in joy,
for he has been glorified!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.
Amen.
Byzantine Traditional
This ancient prayer has the feel of a psalm, as it trumpets the birth of Christ with an exhortation to praise and song on the part of the believer. Perhaps it was a sung prayer as well, as its rhythms would suggest that a melody may have been a part of its expression.
While I don’t know what notes (if any) may have accompanied its opening lines, its final line is the traditional Gloria Patri sung every Sunday of my childhood at the conclusion of the pastoral prayer. As Presbyterians, we weren’t as strictly liturgical as some churches, but there was a pattern to our worship, and these words were included in that pattern.
“Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.” We stood in the presence of God and affirmed our belief in the Trinity, one in three, and, as Salvation Army doctrine explains, “co-equal in power and glory.” Present in the beginning, at the creation of the world. Present in our day, as we walk in the Spirit, and present forever, infinitely God with us.
For this day, it will be the melody that replays in my head.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen. Amen.
Saturday, December 03, 2011
Advent Prayers for Christ-Seekers December 3
Christmas Prayer of Pope John XXIII
O sweet Child of Bethlehem,grant that we may share with all our hearts
in this profound mystery of Christmas.
Put into the hearts of men and women this peace for which they sometimes seek so desperately and which you alone can give to them.
Help them to know one another better,
and to live as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father.
Reveal to them also your beauty, holiness and purity.
Awaken in their hearts love and gratitude for your infinite goodness.
Join them all together in your love.
And give us your heavenly peace. Amen.
What prayer does a pastor pray for his/her people? Pope John XXIII demonstrates a pastor’s heart as he prays this prayer. First, for faith, that the mystery of Christmas, the incarnation, might be known to us. A prayer for personal peace follows, the peace that Jesus speaks of in John 14, perfect peace, the peace that passes all understanding. And then to relationship, a plea for connection, for a familial relationship as children of the same Father.
It challenges us this day to consider, how do I, as pastor, corps officer, mother, friend, pray for the people in my life. What is most dear to my heart as I pray for others (and for myself)?
Christmas Prayer of Pope John XXIII
O sweet Child of Bethlehem,grant that we may share with all our hearts
in this profound mystery of Christmas.
Put into the hearts of men and women this peace for which they sometimes seek so desperately and which you alone can give to them.
Help them to know one another better,
and to live as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father.
Reveal to them also your beauty, holiness and purity.
Awaken in their hearts love and gratitude for your infinite goodness.
Join them all together in your love.
And give us your heavenly peace. Amen.
What prayer does a pastor pray for his/her people? Pope John XXIII demonstrates a pastor’s heart as he prays this prayer. First, for faith, that the mystery of Christmas, the incarnation, might be known to us. A prayer for personal peace follows, the peace that Jesus speaks of in John 14, perfect peace, the peace that passes all understanding. And then to relationship, a plea for connection, for a familial relationship as children of the same Father.
It challenges us this day to consider, how do I, as pastor, corps officer, mother, friend, pray for the people in my life. What is most dear to my heart as I pray for others (and for myself)?
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